


A Lifelong Promise

by Hella_Queer



Category: Free! Eternal Summer - Fandom
Genre: M/M, So much fluff I don't know where to put it, crying Rin because of course, romantic sousuke, sourinweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 11:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5926969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hella_Queer/pseuds/Hella_Queer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sousuke didn't believe in perfection. Then Rin walked down the aisle. </p><p> </p><p>Day 3/ Paper (weddings and commitments)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lifelong Promise

 

 

 

Having a sister who was a wedding planner was a big pain in the ass. You didn't have Sunday dinner with a normal wedding planner, nor would a normal wedding planner barge into your home, unannounced, carrying books about napkins, table settings, flower arrangements and silverware.

"I regret giving you a key," Rin grumbled as Gou sat down across from him at the small kitchen table. She ignored him like usual, too busy flipping pages and arranging notes.

"Good morning, Gou," Sousuke greeted, placing a mug of tea within arms reach. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Good morning, Sousuke-kun," she said, smiling lightly. "Just some final touches is all. The church has been booked, as have the caterers. The invitations have been sent out; my new assistant has been receiving RSVP's and is making the seating chart accordingly."

Rin accepted the mug of coffee from his fiancée—black with two splashes of milk—curiously eyeing the brightly decorated planner Gou was gesturing to. "I still can't believe you gave Hazuki a job. Didn't he set fire to his dorm room when you two were in college?"

"He flooded the student lounge. But he knows our family and your friends better than a stranger would."

Sousuke hummed, looking over the selection of centerpieces that were circled in the catalog. He quite liked the clear crystal vases, but the tall black ones had an elegance that spoke to him.

"It also helps that Ryugazaki keeps him in line."

Gou giggled, thinking about the decorator they had hired. Rei was a dream come true. He strived for perfection in every piece that he did, from table settings to ice sculptures. As long as he stayed on task, which he did without fail, Nagisa would do his best to impress him.

"Sounds like you've got everything covered, then," Rin said, moving to stand. Gou dealt a swift kick to his ankle and he fell back into his chair.

"Ow!"

"Don't even think about leaving, big brother. Your wedding is less than three months away and you haven't even been fitted for a suit yet!"

Rin scowled at her as he rubbed his sore ankle. "They're _suits_ , Gou. It's not like I'll sudden gain fifty pounds a week before the wedding." His sister rolled her eyes but ultimately relented. It was always two steps forward and one step back with the oldest Matsuoka. She could pester him about the fitting later.

"Fine, fine, let's move on. Have you two decided on a color scheme?"

"Purple and teal," Rin answered.

"Ohh, pretty! Okay, the cake?"

"Red velvet with cream cheese icing. Three tiers. A simple design, maybe swirls or something, but no flowers. Those are incredibly played out."

Gou jotted that down in her notebook, then turned to Sousuke.

"What about you, Sousuke-kun?"

The man silently slid the table settings book over to Rin. After a few moments of deliberation, he pointed to the tall crystal vases that had a fish scale-like pattern.

"I like these," Rin said. "Reminds me of the ocean and the beach back in Iwatobi."

"I asked what Sousuke wanted," Gou said, making a face. Honestly, her brother could be so bossy sometimes.

"This is fine," Sousuke said.

"You don't have to settle for what Oniichan wants. This is your wedding too."

He shrugged, pushing the tablecloth samples over next. Rin's eyes scanned the rows before landing on a deep purple that neared on wine. "Perfect!"

Gou sighed, cornered about Sousuke's lack of input, but wrote it down anyway. She would never get a personal answer out of him with Rin in the room. She needed to get rid of him for a bit.

"Big brother? Do you still have your high school graduation yearbook?"

"I dunno. Somewhere in the attic maybe? Why?"

"Mom was asking about it. I told her I would ask you when I came by."

Rin groaned loudly, annoyed at the prospect of hunting for the past in a too big attic. But he knew better than to ignore a request from his mother. He dropped a quick kiss onto Sousuke's temple before leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs.

Gou waited a good fifteen seconds before pouncing; she braced her palms on the table and leaned forward, startling a confused Sousuke.

"Alright, Sousuke. What do _you_ want."

".. Huh?"

She waved a hand at the chair Rin had just vacated. "I know big brother can be pretty assertive sometimes, but you need to take charge. This is your special day as well, and I want you to be happy."

Sousuke regarded her silently, bright eyes taking in her sincere expression. It was similar to Rin's, which brought a soft smile to his lips. He still couldn't believe that the man of his dreams had agreed to marry him. It felt too good to be true at first, but as they settled on the date, the venue, the rings, it all started to become real. And if this really _was_ a dream, then he never wanted to wake up.

"Gou," Sousuke started. "How long have Rin and I been together?"

She paused, caught off guard. "Oh. Um.."

"Eleven years, and we've been engaged for five of them. That's a lot of time for two people to be together, right?"

"I-I suppose, yes. But I don't see why that—"

He sat back in his chair and let his eyes wander around the kitchen of his home. The first house he and Rin had bought together had been a tiny, one story place with terrible plumbing. But it had been theirs, and that made it bearable.

"When Rin went to Australia to study marine biology after high school, I nearly lost my mind. Being so far away from my best friend felt like a punch in the heart." He grimaced, remembering those first lonely months in Tokyo. Business school had sucked, and without Rin to distract him it was even worse.

"When I took control of my family's company, the first thing I did was set up a headquarters where he was because that's the only place I wanted to be."

To this day he couldn't remember what his father had yelled at him. All he cared about was the image of Rin's face when he met him at the airport. The way having him back in his arms felt like coming home.

"We could get married in swimsuits in a kiddy pool and I wouldn't care," he said with a grin, refocusing on his soon to be sister-in-law. "The way I see it? I get to keep him for the rest of forever. That's all I need. And what _I_ want is for him to have everything _he_ wants."

Gou sniffed, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Sousuke handed her a tissue, which she took gratefully.

"At least pick the flowers," she said after blowing her nose. "If only to set me at ease."

He tilted his head to the side and thought—really thought about it—before answering.

"Forget-me-nots," he said softly, which only made Gou cry more.

-^-

With the help of their mother, Gou managed to get Rin fitted for his suit three weeks before the wedding. He whined and complained like the big baby he was, but actually listened to her suggestions when it came to colors and styles.

"This is so boring," he moaned, flopping down on a bench. "Why isn't Sousuke here?"

"Because it's bad luck for you two to see each other in your suits before the wedding."

Rin peered over at her, raising an eyebrow. "It's that an American superstition?"

She stamped her foot and shot him a fierce glare. "You're getting married in less than twenty-one days! We are not taking any chances." A deep breath and a short mental cleanse brought her stress levels back down. "Now get up, we've got a lot of work to do."

Rin had decided on a basic style of suit, no fancy waistcoats or tails. As for the color, well, that was a little harder. Red was nice but didn't fit the color scheme; teal matched but looked ridiculous with his hair; brown was disgusting and tacky; grey made him feel like he was heading to a funeral; and according to Gou, black was reserved for Sousuke.

"Let's just go with white," Rin said after almost two hours of no success. "I'll wear a purple tie, Sou can wear teal."

"Are you sure?" Gou asked. Her ponytail had lost all of its volume, and she looked completely exhausted just sitting there.

"Positive," he sighed. "I'm positively sure that if I don't eat in the next two minutes I will die."

Gou laughed, regaining a bit of energy. "I think white is excellent."

As Gou went to find their mother and the stylist, Rin took out his phone to check on Sousuke. He wasn't fairing much better.

  
**Sou (12:06)** Apparently there are 'styles' of suits?

 **Sou (12:08)** And I need to try all of them.

 **Sou (13:55)** god kill me I'm so tired can we just get married naked ?

 **Sou (14:24)** If I don't make it home it's because I starved to death.

  
Rin smiled fondly as he typed a response. He had planned on making an early dinner when he returned home, and was glad that the food wouldn't be wasted. As he let his mind wander, he felt a tingle run down his spine. Pretty soon he would be cooking meals with his _husband_. The change from best friends to boyfriends didn't feel all that different, but husband sounded so official and heavy, even a little scary.

He took a deep breath to calm himself; he wasn't finished yet. He still had to be fitted for the damn suit, and find an appropriately colored tie, and decide on how he would wear his hair. He would save his freak out for later.

  
**Sent! (14:48)** Same here. I hope we get a lover's coffin.

 **Sou (14:49)** We better. I didn't spend years winning you over to lose to some dead guy.

  
Just like that, his nerves evaporated. He knew he'd said yes for a reason.

-^-

A week passed, complications arose, then were fixed by a fiery young woman with the spirit of a dragon. Then another week passed, and a final fitting for the suits were done. They still fit. Shocking.

Days blended into each other, and suddenly Rin was getting married _tomorrow_. As he lied in bed, gazing at the walls of his youth, he wondered where all the time had gone. A life time ago he was some crybaby kid who couldn't handle change, who pushed his friends away because of insecurities that were beyond ridiculous. Now here he was, twenty-nine years old, about to marry his best friend.

Almost as if he could hear his thoughts all the way in Tokyo, Sousuke's face lit up his phone screen.

_"Good evening, Matsuoka-san."_

Rin snorted, rolling over on his stomach, holding his phone close to his ear. He had missed the sound of his voice after being apart all week. It was Gou's idea for him to come back to Iwatobi, while Sousuke stayed at their house in Tokyo. Something stupid about longing or fondness, he didn't know or care. The fact still remained that Sousuke wasn't with him.

"Better get that in while you can," Rin teased. "You won't be able to say it after tomorrow."

_"You're right. After tomorrow you're officially mine."_

Sousuke sounded so...happy. It made Rin blush, even though the other man couldn't see it. Though, remembering the distance between them made him want to cry. God he was all over the place.

"I miss you," he croaked, laughing. "I didn't think I would, since we've been apart for way longer before. But.."

 _"I know,"_ Sousuke whispered. _"I'm a little impatient, honestly."_

"Impatient?"

_"I don't want to wait to see you. I want you in my arms and with my name already."_

"Sou.." Rin closed his eyes, burrowing deeper under the covers. He felt cold without the solid body of muscle under him. His hands were empty without Sousuke's fingers there to fill the gaps.

 _"The bed feels too big without you,"_ Sousuke said, trying to laugh. _"And it's too warm because you haven't stolen all of the covers."_

Rin sniffed, clutching at the pillow under his head. "There's still time to back out, you know? In case you've changed your mind.."

 _"Never,"_ Sousuke said without hesitation. _"The only thing stopping me from taking a train to Iwatobi is Gou. I'm convinced that she's monitoring the house to make sure I don't see you until it's time."_

Rin silently agreed. He wouldn't put it past his sister to do something crazy like that. He loved Gou dearly, but right now he was having major withdrawal and he wasn't sure how much longer he could go without seeing him.

 _"Ten more hours to go,"_ Sousuke murmured. _"We should get some rest. The sooner we go to sleep, the faster morning will come."_

Rin smiled through his tears. Sousuke used to say that when they were kids and wanted to calm an antsy Rin, who hated being stopped by something as stupid as a bedtime.

"Goodnight, Sou," he whispered.

_"Goodnight, Rin. Sweet dreams."_

He thought it would take forever to fall asleep, too keyed up and anxious to relax. But Sousuke must have been some kind of wizard, because as soon as he closed his eyes he was fast asleep.

-^-

As he stood by the alter, hair slicked back, shoes shinned, suit wrinkle free, surrounded by immaculate flowers and smelling of expensive cologne, Sousuke couldn't help but feel under dressed. If he had looked around at the guests he would see that none of the other men were dressed quite as well as he was. But right now he only had eyes for one.

Rin was beauty personified as he made his way down the aisle, a bouquet of teal and purple Forget-me-nots in his hands. He was a beacon of light for Sousuke, drawing him in, stealing his breath but allowing him to live by will of choice. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, drowning out everything else until all that remained was the man standing in front of him.

They had decided against vows; what more could they say to each other that hasn't been said already? So when it was announced that Sousuke had something to say, Rin was thrown sideways.

To his credit Sousuke looked a little nervous, but after taking a deep breath he stepped closer, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a soft silver chain with two rings linked through it. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as Rin realized what they were, what they represented.

"Eleven years ago I made you a promise." The chain was situated around his neck, their pinkie rings from a lifetime ago hanging over his tie. "Today, I'm making you another one."

Any lingering doubts that Rin had melted away as he looked into Sousuke's eyes. Never before had he seen so much love and adoration directed at him, and it made him feel weightless. The only thing anchoring him to the ground was the large hands that held onto his after they exchanged the rings.

Time stopped when they kissed; Sousuke's hands cradling his face, holding him like he were the most precious of jewels. He felt overwhelmed in the best way, and didn't even care that a room full of people were witnessing his waterfall impression. But not even that mattered, because Sousuke was there to wipe away his tears as the guests applauded and cameras flashed.

The first dance became the first five dances, until Gou forced them apart so that she could dance with Sousuke, and Rin with his new mother-in-law. All the while crimson eyes sought out cerulean, a thousand words floating in the space between them.

When Sousuke had Rin back in his arms he made sure to hold him close, giving no room for anyone else to cut in. Which was just fine with Rin, who was in no rush to let go of his husband. That word, so real now, made him smile.

"Having fun?" He asked, gazing up into his future. Sousuke beamed, leaning down to kiss him.

"Of course, Yamazaki-san. I got everything that I wanted today."

Rin giggled, leaning into his chest. The two weren't so much as dancing as they were swaying back and forth, but neither of them seemed to care.

"Gou did a really good job," he acknowledged. "I bet we'll have albums of pictures when we return home."

Sousuke hummed, letting thoughts of their honeymoon take backseat to the here and now. "She did. But that's not what I meant."

"No? Then what?"

"You."

Rin furrowed his brow, tilting his head in the curious kitten way that Sousuke adored. How he lasted so long without having this man as his husband would remain a mystery to him.

"From this day forward you will always be mine," he said, resting his forehead against Rin's. "No matter where you go I'll always be with you. No matter what happens, we'll be together. That's all I've ever wanted."

"Sou.." Rin hid his face in his shoulder, knowing he was probably staining the suit with his tears. Sousuke gently ran his fingers through his hair, feeling utterly content for the first time in his life.

"I love you, Rin Yamazaki."

A quiet sob was muffled into his chest. Rin gripped tighter to his shoulders, leaning back to look at him properly. His bright, tear filled eyes smiled up at him; the rings around his neck glittering in the lights above.

"I love you, too, Sousuke Matsuoka."

And in that moment, Sousuke fell in love all over again.

**Author's Note:**

> In Japanese culture, Forget-me-nots represent true love <3


End file.
